A Sunderland supporter who is living in the farthest north of the UK mainland, Caithness.
From here it can be hard following the Blackcats.
These are my thoughts about Sunderland from a far and how i manage to satisfy my needs as a Mackem

Thursday, 29 September 2011

Wednesday was a good day watching the seals at the yearling beach. Sannick Beach (photos). This is where the immature seals come to play at being naughty and the older ones look on in disgust. In a few weeks they will round Duncansby Head for the real breading beach by the adults and low betide any young'uns who try to interfere. Then today walk along Keiss beach with one of the other dogs, while the other was being x-rayed for her back. Oh and Bramble managed to get himself in trouble again. Another player down.

West Brom, Saturday. Firstly, great to have a Saturday game, seems to of been ages since we last had one. Secondly, I have real bad memories of Baggies games. Remember the away game in April 2009. That was the day of my eldest daughters wedding. She is a season ticket holder, her husband and all of her family are, yes for the Baggies. My speech was full of gibes at them, how that back fired, beaten 3-0. Never mind by 4 in the morning all was forgiven.

Tuesday, 27 September 2011

What a miserable morning. It is wet, windy and just dreich. Where is this heatwave predicted? Has it gone the same way as the fresh dawn after our great win over Stoke? Full of false promises.

Lets face it, Bruce has now spent a small fortune or for us normal folk a huge fortune. This team has to be classed as his. Yes we do have striking problems with Gyan leaving after the window closed but you need 3 front line strikers, to cover injures, bans, etc. If it was true that Gyan has been pressing to leave since the beginning of the year, Bendtner was his replacement not Bent's or Welbecks. So who is at fault that we are still short of strikers?

Friday, 16 September 2011

Weather report, wet & very windy. The remnants of the hurricane may of missed us & we had a very quiet day but it has made up for it before that day and after. Winds of 30, 40 +mph and been raining most days for a month or more. Taking about the weather seems better than talking about the events of the past week.

We all have a free Saturday, What are you going to do with it? I am going to a talk on why the Highland Clearances started, at Helmsdale in Sutherland. Should be interesting, anyone want a report? Then off to Tesco's, not so interesting but got to get tea. Might just have fish & chips though.

Sunday, 11 September 2011

Yesterday was going to be a good day. At 12 the F1 qualifying at Monza and then the pre match build up for the game. I was going for a 2-2 draw, if Gyan was fit, then would of been good to see him and new boy Bendtner teaming up.

Just as the qualifying had started, rumours started that Gyan had gone. He had been sent on loan to Dubai of all places. So absurd that it could not be true. Remember who we are and so the absurd was in fact true. I lost all interest in the F1, trying to find out what on earth was happening. As the realisation sunk in, he was gone, January 2011 all over again. Bent deserted us for money but at least stayed in the Premier League and tried to say he went to a 'bigger club', not true but could be argued. Gyan had no excuse, Dubai's league canot be compared to the PL, crowds of under 1,000. As we learnt later,the increase in wages from 40,000 to 200,000 might just of been the real reasons.

Thursday, 8 September 2011

That is the view from my study and this is the view in my study, including me. Don't look too much like Santa just now as I have trimmed by beard.

Been a boring couple of weeks without any games. Not too interested in the international games. After spending half my life in Scotland & with a Scottish father, I support Scotland. Not qualifying for a tournament for a number of years has dampened my interest in these games. I get depressed enough watching Sunderland, don't need more punishment by watching Scotland. I was pleased to see a old boy of ours scoring for the England under 21's. Remind me why we let Waghorn go? I can't understand why it has not worked out for him at Leicester but good luck to him at Hull.

Sunday, 4 September 2011

One of the problems of living up here is the weather, to say it can be a little depressing is an understatement. Couple that with living with depression, not very good. Yesterday was not a good day, weather wise and so not a good depression wise. This meant that I could not write this until today, a sunny & bright day.

You may think, "what is this guy, suffering from depression, doing supporting Sunderland. It must make him worse." Well it does not help. When I was first diagnosed with depression in 1997, I thought I would cheer myself up and watch us play against Reading away. Easy game, wrong !!!! We lost 4-0 against Reading of all teams, this was before their push for PL status. After that result you lucky/unlucky (delete as appropriate) that i am still here. Anyway I digress.

Friday, 2 September 2011

Here we are, a new player in place, wanting to see where he is going to fit in. Will he fit in? So what happens, nothing. International fortnight !!!!! Saturday boredom. For those who are wanting to fill their time on Saturday, go and support your local team. Not me, Wick Academy play in B & W so no. Petty I know but that is me.

Been an interesting few weeks since I last looked in here. I was not an exile for the derby game. My sister had a spare ticket and offered it to me, how could I of refused. Jumped in me car Friday morning (had to wear my top, can't travel without your colours) and off down the A99, A9, M90, A1 to Berwick and my bed over night. Took me 8 hours, with only 2 stops. The first 2 roads are about the most annoying roads in the country. They go through the spine of Scotland but are not dual carriage way. Get behind a lorry or 2 or 3, or behind a caravan or a tourist looking at the beautiful hills at 40mph and you sit there with your temperature high enough to melt the snow on the top of the mountains. You see a overtaking lane or a short dual carriageway and you take off, pass all those people that have sent you into orbit and then the 2 lanes end just before you can pass the next 2 lorries in front of you. Temperature rising again.